Fallen Angel
by shegal92
Summary: After Sozin's comet, Zuko banishes Azula and tells her to come back after she's found herself. But can she find herself through all the lies? R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone...yet.

I had been a beautiful crystal angel, set high on a pedestal above everyone else. Then, slowly and at the same time quickly, I fell. Now, I lay shattered upon the ground, the shards too sharp to ever touch. Today, I had no clue why and how I had broken. Everything's clear now in hindsight.

Now, I was kneeling beside a pond, the very one Zuzu and I played by when we were children. So long ago. Had he brought me here to torment me further, or to remind me of something? What good memory could he possibly have of me?

I had been numb, unfeeling, before today. I had accepted my dark side, and had used it to my advantage. My thick skin had kept me from harm. But somehow, today my skin had thinned. My stone wall had crumbled, and now everything I had ever held off with it had sunken their fangs into nerves.

My mother thought I was a monster. The only reason why Father loved me was because I tried so hard to please him. My perfectionism was what caused him to love me. I had manipulated my brother time and time again, had caused him tremendous pain and suffering. My best friends had betrayed me. When the smoke cleared, no one would be there for me, because I had never been there for anyone.

All of these facts in the back of my mind stabbed at my frail, black, shriveled up heart until it was a physical pain. I had lost my mind because I had realized something, though I'm still not sure what. All of this bottled up emotion had exploded all over the place.

I gazed down into my reflection in the pond, my wrists and ankles still locked together. My bangs weren't even. My hair was disheveled. The edges of my clothes were singed. My eyes were red and vacant from crying.

Footsteps fell on the grass. I looked up wearily.

"So, how will you deal with the Big Bad Wolf? Will you lock me in prison like father? Will you simply let me go as though you were Uncle Iroh? Or do you actually have the balls to kill me?" Zuko kneeled down. I felt the heat as he melted away my restraints.

"I'm not going to do any of those things. You aren't deserving of such punishments," he said. I stood up shakily, rubbing my wrists.

I dared to look into his eyes. They were cold. Like revenge. His eyes looked away first.

"Azula, you're my sister. Despite everything, I still love you," he met my eyes again, "This is why I have to banish you." I smirked. Like I didn't deserve that.

"Okay, then. Shall I just leave, then?"

"Go pack your things," he said. I walked up the steps, into the palace, into my room. It would probably be Mai's once I left.

I didn't take much; a daggar, a brush, a few ribbons, and a second pair of clothes with shoes. I put them into a bag and then walked to the front of the palace. Zuko was waiting for me.

"Don't take any animals from the stables," he said firmly.

"All right," I crossed my heart, "Fire Bender's promise." I walked down the steps.

"Azula," I turned to him. We stared at each other for a minute, "Feel free to come back when you find yourself," I laughed.

"Then I should go back to my room now," I turned away, "I know who I am. I am Princess Azula, daughter of Fire Lord Ozai."

That was a lie.

I walked down the Fire Nation's streets in the dead of night, leaving behind the only home I had ever known.

&

Don't get me wrong, the Avatar finale was great except for a couple things, one of which was WHAT HAPPENED TO FRICKIN' AZULA?! It's been bugging me so I came up with a story. Hope you enjoy, and please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone...yet.

My feet hurt. I don't think I had ever walked this much in my life. I wasn't entirely sure where I was, somewhere just beyond the borders of the heart of the Fire Nation. It was rough terrain, mostly uphill. It was easier to think about how much my feet hurt compared to the ache in my chest. It was strangely noiseless, except for an occasional bird. It seemed as though everything had died.

Eventually, I would have to take a boat somewhere. But where would I go? What nation would tolerate me? Certainly not Earth kingdom. I wasn't very fond of water. Air? That was a possibility. Was there anywhere in the world that wasn't controlled by a kingdom? How would I even get the money to pay for the boat? It would be dark soon. I had to stop.

There was a forest off the path I was following. I hid myself in there and made a fire out of the leaves and branches that had fallen off the trees. Leaning against a tree, I realized I had little idea as to how to make a shelter. My stomach growled and I realized I didn't know how to trap animals. I imagined myself in the palace... And then stopped my illusions. I never wanted to go back there again. It would never be the same.

I stared into the fire, feeling a strange emotion come into me. It was panicky, and depressed, and paranoid all rolled into one. I didn't remember ever having this feeling before. As I stared longer into the fire, I could see Father's face; his steel eyes, his set-in frown, his prideful chin raised high. And then, Father's face disappeared and was replaced by Zuko's. I kicked some dirt angrily into the pit and turned away. I was used to thinking about Zuzu, wondering about him, remembering him. He was my brother, after all. I stared into the night sky and pondered briefly if he was thinking about me.

I didn't fall asleep fast. Hunger pangs and a spinning mind prevented that. I curled up in the fetal position and stared blankly across the ground until I became unconscious.

&

My eyes opened however later to the sound of snuffling and shuffling. An armager was inches away from me. An armager was a cat beast the size of a horse covered in hard plating. It then began to sniff me, up and down my body. I lay perfectly still. That is, until it opened its mouth with every intent of devouring me.

I scrambled away and got into a defensive crouching position. The armager looked at me and then bristled, its plates poking upwards. I took a deep breath. I would show this beast who was the predator. A bolt of lightening shot from my fingertips towards it. It was enveloped in blue light for a moment, and then stood there, unaffected. The only damage I had done was only to anger it.

The armager ran faster than I could, and overpowered me in an instant. Taken by surprise, I screamed. The beast tore into me with its sharp canines and I struggled fruitlessly against it. How could it not be affected by that shot?!

There was a whizzing sound. The armager paused, and then dropped me. I watched in amazement as rocks were projected into its eyes. It roared and then sprinted away. I brushed my midriff with my fingertips. It was still there, as far as I could tell. The pain promised me that.

"Are you all right, miss?" I looked up. A man was standing over me. I nodded, "Do you need some help or-" he trailer off as I attempted to sit up. He stared at me, horrified, as I looked him in the eyes. He inched away, and then ran.

At first, I was confused at his reaction. Then, I realized I wasn't so far away from home that no one would recognize me.

As soon as I found the strength, I continued on. I washed my wounds in a nearby pond and then drank the water. I was so thirsty, I didn't care how filthy it was, or whether I got infected. Right now, all I cared about was meeting my needs. I changed into my second set of clothes and left the old rags in a bush.

I was starving, but not starving enough to eat anything here. Civilization had to be nearby. I would wait. I felt drained of energy, and I had to focus on each footstep as I took it to keep going. I felt the ache in my throat and fell to my knees. It was all so overwhelming, so sudden, this change of life. It was so hard. And I had barely started.

Somehow, I forced myself to make it to a busy waterside village called Erigant. I looked into the water and smoothed my hair as much as I could. I suppose it would be a silly thing to worry about, when you're trying to figure out where to get your next meal. For the longest time, that was my only worry. I was aware of the stares I was receiving, and tried not to care. But I did.

I found some scraps in the back of a restaurant. Really, I was so hungry I didn't even care. Then I went down to the docks to see about how much it would take to take a boat to anywhere else. It was expensive, far more than I had imagined. How was I going to come up with that sum of money in any short period of time?

&

I couldn't sleep, so I watched the people walk on by, going about their lives as normal while I was wondering how I was going to leave this place. I watched the shops close up, the owners leaving for the night, all pompously rich...

...pompously rich? I smirked. They wouldn't mind if I took some money off their hands, would they? I crept towards a darkened antique shop. They were sure to have a lot. My fire cut around the doorknob and I caught it before it fell. I eased open the door. It was dark, musty, and crowded; everything you'd expect of an antique shop. I eased every step down, tip-toeing. It's amazing how fast you develop patience when it's absolutely necessary. I was almost to the front desk when I was struck from behind.

"Thief!" A man cried, wrestling me to the ground. This morning's wounds burned.

I was then knocked out, the last thing I heard that accusation in my ears. Thief. Thief.

&

There had been no trial. Trials had been discontinued by my father. How stupid had he been when he made that decision? To not thoroughly investigate the crime in favor of saving money? Not that I had anything to argue. I knew I had been wrong in trying to steal, no matter how rich he was. Why were those ferry prices so high?

Well, now I had a month of thinking time that I wasn't looking forward to spending in a cold, oddly damp jail cell.

&

Oh, wow. That was a chapter riddled in writer's block, despite the briefness. Next chapters will come with more action. Please review.


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